VAPI•2mo ago

Mocking an IVR for transfer

I want to have my agent make an outbound call where it introduces itself, but offers them a chance to press 0 to transfer to a live agent. If they press 0, I want to transfer to a live agent.

I have enabled the DTMF and Transfer Call tools, and I can see in the logs that the keypad entries are being received, but neither tool is being used and the call is not being transferred. How do I fix this?

Vapi Support BotAPP•10/29/25, 7:30 PM

To fix the transfer issue, update your Transfer Call tool's parameters to include the required destinationdestination property. Add the following to your tool configuration:

"parameters": {
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "destination": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["+1234567890"], // Replace with your live agent's number
      "description": "The destination to transfer the call to."
    }
  },
  "required": ["destination"]
}

"parameters": {
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "destination": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["+1234567890"], // Replace with your live agent's number
      "description": "The destination to transfer the call to."
    }
  },
  "required": ["destination"]
}

This ensures the transfer function knows where to route the call when the user presses 0.
For more details, see the Vapi documentation.

Source:

Vapi documentation: call forwarding

⤵️ Mention @Vapi Support Bot for follow-ups 🐥

KyleAPP•10/29/25, 8:05 PM

Hi indian_dumbledore,

For effectively navigating IVR menu systems with Vapi, utilize the DTMF tool. Here are a few recommendations:

Add short pauses between digits: Use specific pause characters like ww for a 0.5s pause or WW for a 1s pause to ensure the IVR registers each tone. For Twilio, Telnyx, Vapi Numbers, or BYOK SIP, use ww / WW. For Vonage, use pp Read more.
Wait for menus to finish: Ensure all options are spoken before sending the first DTMF sequence. If waiting, respond with a single space " "" " to maintain silence.
Retry or use spoken fallback: If a fast attempt fails (e.g., 123#123#), retry with increased pauses (1w2w3#1w2w3#). If this fails too, consider speaking the option aloud.

These steps should help improve your IVR interaction reliability.

If your inquiry is about call transfer functionality or issues, let me know so I can provide the relevant guidance on setting up warm transfers and handling calls effectively.

Mocking an IVR for transfer

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